taylorswiftfandomcom-20200222-history
Red (song)
| Format = Digital download | Genre = Country pop, pop rock | Length = | Label = Big Machine | Writer = Taylor Swift | Producer = }} "Red" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. It was released on October 2, 2012 in the US by Big Machine Records as the second promotional single from her upcoming fourth studio album, ''Red'' (2012). It is part of the four tracks to be released during the four weeks preceding the release of the album. On the day it was released, it rose to the top of iTunes chart, dethroning One Direction's "Live While We're Young". Critical reception The song received mixed to positive reviews from music critics. Marc Hogan of Spin felt the schizophrenic influences didn’t work in Swift’s favor: “A glossy soft rocker with a stomping four-on-the-floor beat, back-porch twang, adult-contemporary orchestration, and Top 40-ready electronic vocal effects, it covers a bizarre number of bases. And the key lyric compares her lost love, mourned here as an object of desire but not kissed off as one of the usual jerks, to ‘driving a new Maserati down a dead end street,’ like Swift is about to brawl with Rick Ross.” Grady Smith of Entertainment Weekly, joked, saying: “Those are the only colors the song — which Swift says is all about ‘intense emotion’ — brings up, which kind of let me down. (...) I’m being serious — I kept waiting for some other hue to pop up, and it never did.(... And then, said: "Lyrically, (...) some lines (...) lack the crisp, powerful punch that Swift usually delivers. And in a song all about the vividness of feelings, they paint a rather blurry portrait. (...) Where is the drama, the sexiness, the freefall of passion? The poppy production white-washes over all that. That doesn’t mean this is a bad song, just maybe an underwhelming one." Hugh McIntyre of Billboard, saw it as a return to form for the singer-songwriter after she’s departed from her country sound. Rebecca Macatee of E! Online, found the lyrics to be a rainbow of fruit flavors: ”She…goes through myriad colors to describe her feelings… We’re not sure what color Swift’s heart is, but we’re sure it’s pretty.” Laurence of Music City Post, noted the track’s melodic strength: “With a lot of heart on the sleeve lyricism (...) and a hefty guitar solo, ‘Red’ does nothing by half measures." Rolling Stone responded favorably to the record, noting that the song marries her heartbreak anthems with a radio-friendly sound "with banjos flying, strings swelling and guitars wailing, Swift keeps her lyrics simple but effective." The Pop Fairy gave a negative review: "“Red” is (...) another love song by America’s favorite cougar of the moment. (...) The only unique thing about the song is the thing I can’t stand, the electronic ‘R-R-Red’ that repeats after the chorus.” Finishing with 'A little more effort would be nice.', giving the song a grade 'C'. Live performances Swift performed the song live for the first time at the BBC Radio Teen Awards on October 7, 2012, which was held at the Wembley Arena in London. Charts References Category:2012 songs Category:Taylor Swift songs Category:Big Machine Records singles Category:Songs written by Taylor Swift